New videos of cop punching woman in head will likely vindicate cops, mayor says

Wildwood police say they will soon release body camera footage of a young woman's violent weekend arrest, and when they do, it will likely show that the officers did what was necessary, said Wildwood Mayor Ernie Troiano Jr.

A video shared on social media over the weekend shows a Wildwood part-time officer punching 20-year-old Emily Weinman of Philadelphia in the head after she was stopped for underage drinking on the beach.

"She assaults them, she spits at them, she kicks them. At that point, the police officer did what he had to do," Troiano said Tuesday. "I didn't see her put her hands behind her back. I didn't see any of that."

"From what I gather from the people that looked at it, you'll see that the officers were restrained in what they did."

Asked if Weinman deserved to be punched, Troiano said she was "out of control."

"Did she deserve to get hit? Maybe not, but then again maybe she did deserve it. I don't know. The internal investigation will determine that."

Attorney Stephen Dicht of Margate, who is representing Weinman, said he's looking forward to the videos being released, and that he would not be surprised if the mayor had to issue a retraction when they are.

He said the beating his client endured was the result of inferior training that class II officers receive. The Attorney General's use of force policy states that officers trying to get a subject under control should use "only that force which is objectively reasonable and necessary."

"It's kind of ridiculous. They're there to protect, to diffuse situations, not escalate them," he said. "Whatever she did or said -- and I'm not admitting she did or said anything -- the response is way out of proportion. That's what happens when you've got poorly trained officers."

New video of the arrest will be released in the next two days, but must first be reviewed to blur faces of those not involved, said Wildwood Police Chief Robert Regalbuto.

"I want to be as thorough and complete as possible. We'll put everything out there. We just want to make sure we cover all of our bases."

The social media video, which has now been viewed millions of times and picked up by news outlets worldwide, prompted an almost immediate investigation by the police department and the Cape May County Prosecutor's Office. Gov. Phil Murphy, who had not seen the video, called the incident "pretty darn disturbing."

On Saturday, Weinman refused to give her name to officers and spit on them and kicked them as they tried to arrest her, police said.

The young woman, however, has a different story. In her since-deleted Facebook post, she said she was visiting the beach with her boyfriend and their 18-month-old child when two officers confronted her about unopened containers of alcohol she had on the beach.

She passed a breathalyzer test, and afterwards, police followed her as she walked away to make a phone call.

"I asked them don't they have something better to do as cops than to stop people for underage drinking on the beach," the Facebook post reads, and that's when Weinman claims an officer said, "I was gonna let you go but now I'll write you up."

She said as she was backing away she tripped and fell, and an officer tackled her. Dicht said she spit out sand after having her face pushed into the beach.

In the video, two officers struggle to arrest Weinman and one punches her twice in the head as they grapple in the sand. Onlookers gather to stare at the scene.

Weinman was charged two counts of aggravated assault on a police officer, aggravated assault by spitting bodily fluids at a police officer, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, obstruction and minor in possession of alcohol.

The two officers involved have been reassigned to administrative duties while the matter is reviewed by the department's internal affairs unit and the county prosecutor's office. County Prosecutor Jeffrey H. Sutherland promised a formal statement once the initial investigation is complete.

The officers were class II, part-time cops hired to work during the busy summer months. Regalbuto has not released the officers' names, but said they would be identified when the investigation is complete. In addition to its full-time staff, the department employs 10-12 class I and about 40 class II special officers to cope with the busy summer months.

The chief said he was "shocked" when he saw the video and that "use of force is never pretty."

He then went on to say, however, that "all you have to do is comply with the officer's request."

Mayor Troiano noted that Wildwood's special officers go through extensive training, adding that two of the officers at the scene are new to the force while the third has been with the department since last year. He did not say if the officer who delivered the blows was one of the new officers.

Dicht said he is appalled at the "irresponsible" comments by the Wildwood mayor.

"What he's trying to do is destroy her character, and it's unfair. The mayor of a city destroying the character of a 20-year-old," he said. "I find it very offensive."

He declined to say where his client is living, but said she is not commenting now. Court records indicate she was on four years probation in Pennsylvania, but Dicht said she is free and not being held on any kind of probation violation.

According to court records, Weinman was arrested in 2016 on charges of burglary, simple assault, criminal mischief, criminal trespass and recklessly endangering. She eventually pleaded guilty to misdemeanor counts of simple assault and reckless endangerment and received probation.